Historical Easter Question for Minimalist

[Minimalist]

"Dark Ages" is an amorphous term.  Originally it covered the period from the 5th century to the renaissance but now it is generally restricted to the late 5th-10th centuries.  That's well after Charlesmagne and more closely identifies with the dying down of the Viking assault on Europe.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massacre_of_Verden

The Massacre of Verden, Bloodbath of Verden, or Bloody Verdict of Verden (German Blutgericht von Verden) was a massacre of 4,500 captive Saxons in October 782. During the Saxon Wars, the Saxons rebelled against Charlemagne's invasion and subsequent attempts to christianize them from their native Germanic paganism. The massacre is recorded as having occurred in what is now Verden in Lower Saxony, Germany.

Some scholars have since attempted to exonerate Charlemagne of the massacre, but these attempts have been generally rejected. The massacre became significant among German nationalists in the early 20th century, culminating in its commemoration in Nazi Germany. In 1935, landscape architect Wilhelm Hübotter designed a memorial, known as the Sachsenhain ('Saxon Grove'), that was built at a possible site for the massacre.

One of many carried out by jesus-loving xtian fucks.